President Barack Obama

Former South Dakota Senator Tom Daschle has withdrawn his name as the nominee for Secretary of Health & Human Services. He had been the choice of President Barack Obama to steer his new agenda on health care, and his fall from grace is viewed as a blow to the new Obama administration.

Daschle had come under severe criticism for his failure to pay more than $100,000 in back taxes. A previous Obama cabinet appointee, Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, also had problems with back taxes. Daschle’s tax issues were on a larger scale, and had drawn media skepticism in the context of Obama’s campaign pledge for high ethical standards in the selection of senior White House officials.

The previous day President Obama had indicated his full support for Tom Daschle as HHS secretary. What led Daschle to pull his name out of contention is a matter of media conjecture. Barack Obama will now have to scramble to find a new pick for this important cabinet position

The former U.S. Senate Democratic leader, Tom Daschle of South Dakota, reportedly has been selected by president-elect Barack Obama as Health and Human Services secretary. In the role of Health and Human Services secretary, Tom Daschle will exercise an important role in Obama’s plan to provide healthcare coverage for all Americans, including the 47 million citizens who do not currently have medical insurance.

Tom Daschle was one of the earliest supporters of Barack Obama’s presidential campaign, at a time when Hillary Clinton was considered the clear front runner. Daschle is heading the health-care policy group as part of the Obama transition team, in preparation for Barack Obama’s inauguration as 44th president on January 20.

Tom Daschle was elected to the Senate in 1986 from South Dakota. He was the senior Senate Democrat between 1994 and 2004, and served as majority leader  between 2001 and 2003. Daschle served in Congress for eight years prior to being elected senator.